Food Trailers Austin's Tony Yamanaka on the City's Mobile Food Scene

by Joanne Camas

on 04/17/14 at 02:54 PM

Food trucks have gone from selling hot dogs and ice cream to children to offering a staggering variety of cuisines and menus, and have captured our culinary imaginations in the process. They've featured in reality TV; next month they will hit the big screen in Jon Favreau's Chef.

Austin has a ton of food trailers, and many of them have set up shop in custom-designed parks. Tony Yamanaka started the Food Trailers Austin website four years ago to connect vendors with hungry customers. It's developed into a community along with Austin's burgeoning mobile food scene.

Tony has taken his interest in food trailer food a step further by founding the Austin Food Trailer Alliance--a professional group that meets to discuss business-related matters--and he and his Food Trailers Austin team also consult with owners and help them get to locations and hired for events.

Here, his thoughts on why Austin and food trailers make such a great match, the weirdest food he's tried off a truck, and more.

Tony, why do you think Austin is such hotbed of food trailer activity?

I think Austin's adventurous personality has a lot to do with it. As Austinites, we seem extremely disposed to be somewhere experiencing something at all times. Food trailers and trucks are just that. They are an experience that brings in more than just delicious food. It also brings out a personal connection with a local entrepreneur, the unique character and personality of each location, and the buzz of an exciting dining option.

Do other cities have food trailer parks specifically built for the purpose? How many do you have in Austin now?

Other cities definitely have similar purpose-built parks, but they all have their different spins depending on local laws and general foot traffic mapping. Portland is a good example of having a permanent "park." However, Portland has pods rather than trailers, and they appear to be more like permanent trailers surrounding the perimeter of a parking lot.

Austin's count on food trucks is like taking a guess at the number of gumballs in the jar. The best way to gauge it is to see who is active on social media and consistently open. We have the following, plus a few smaller parks that are in constant flux of occupants. On average I would say there are five trailers at each of these lots:

What makes a food truck a success? Just the food, or the type of food, the friendliness of staff?

You hit the nail on the head with this one. The food has to hold up. If you want to entice people to come back time and time again with competition in the hundreds, you have to have a quality product. Having a successful food truck is no different than having a successful business. At the roots, both need solid concepts that are tried, tested, approved, great, and have a presence that backs that.

What's the most unusual food trailer you've seen, either in food offered or truck design?

The most unusual food I've seen served out of a trailer is definitely Love Balls Bus. They are a heavy Japanese-influenced truck that serves takoyaki among other delicacies. Extremely weird, but delicious. The strangest design goes to Gonzo Juice: They have an enormous rooster on their truck.

What made you interested in the food trailer scene? Ever run one of your own? (And if not, is it a dream?)

My interest in the food trailer scene is the massive sense of community. This ability to help other entrepreneurs thrive is incredible. As a result of launching the website, I founded the Austin Food Trailer Alliance, a professional group that gets together to talk rules and regulations, business practices, and other issues pertinent to the industry. I have not run a food truck of my own. I'm afraid I am the world's worst food critic--I love to eat everything I can get my hands on, and that just doesn't give me the best confidence in identifying a menu that would hold up in the market. For example, I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a hot dog in it. I thought it was amazing. That's the reason I can't own a food truck, ever.

Any food trailer developments we should watch out for this year in Austin and beyond?

I would watch out for the industry as a whole. We've reached that sweet spot where trucks are moving to brick 'n' mortars, the industry is maturing, and everyone is finally planting their feet on the ground. You're seeing trucks at weddings, truck-specific events like Trailer Food Tuesdays, and more. The trucks have hit their stride, and I'm eager to see what comes out next.